Can We Overlook Justice for the Sake of Economy?

There is no doubt that the economy of Kenya is going through what can be described as an economic turmoil with virtually every sector being on the receiving end.

According to statistics, the economy has generally lost a total of 1.4 trillion shillings in a span of only four months with the numbers perceived to be even higher.

The private sector seems to be the hard hit with a confirmation that 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been lost from the sector is an equivalent of 700 billion shillings.

Many political leaders have been calling for the end of the political stalemate in the country for the sake of the economy. It is true that the economy in most parts of the country is almost to its knees. In Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Bungoma, and Nairobi, stories of the ailing economy are the same.

As some parts of the country call for ‘peace’ for the sake of the economy, several questions arise:

Should we overlook justice for the sake of the economy?

What is more important; justice or economy?

Can the country manage to have peace without justice?

Most Kenyan media have been pushing messages of peace while calling for the ‘healing of the nation.’ What most people are wondering is how you can start championing for the healing of something without knowing what is ailing it. For the economy to roar back to its feet, justice is paramount. Justice breeds peace and satisfaction and something short of that will not be peace but ‘pretense.’

On Thursday, one Kenyan politician loudly said that we should ignore those who did not vote and move on as a country. The question is how? How can you forget more than six million people who are dissatisfied and ‘move on’ as a country?

We should not overlook justice for the sake of the economy because it will not work.